


All That Life Can Afford

by deskclutter



Category: Stardust - Neil Gaiman
Genre: F/M, Happy Ending, Literary Quote, Sparkles, Tigers and Lions and Bears, clodpoll king, so not h/c
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-06-24
Updated: 2010-06-24
Packaged: 2017-10-10 06:28:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/96628
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/deskclutter/pseuds/deskclutter
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tristran and Yvaine engage in a mental exercise when he is injured.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All That Life Can Afford

**Title:** All That Life Can Afford  
**Day/Theme:** October 10th / nice weather for ducks  
**Series:** Stardust (book-verse)  
**Character/Pairing:** Tristran/Yvaine  
**Rating:** PG

  
_When a man is tired of London, he is tired of life; for there is in London all that life can afford._  
-Samuel Johnson

When he opened his eyes, sunlight was pouring through the curtained window like a trickle from a constipated tap. The filtered light illuminated a writing table, a small wardrobe, and a door, all of indeterminate colour in the shadow-commingled light. "Ah," he said.

"Do you still hurt?" Yvaine asked.

"I'm afraid so," Tristran said. "And I'm afraid there isn't much to take my mind off it as the doctor distinctly specified that I must rest. It's a bit of a bother. I think I shall have to insist we avoid rather large tigers in the future. It worries me when I worry you."

The star made a derisive sound. "Whoever would worry about a clodpoll such as you?" she said, but out of the corner of Tristran's left eye a tiny, relieved glow began to outline his wife's form.

"If we were in London," he began.

"If we were in London I would be a lump of cold metal and rock," Yvaine said.

"Pretend for a moment you would retain your present form if we went there," Tristran instructed. "There are no large tigers in London other than at the zoo, and there they are kept in cages so as not to disturb the general populace."

"How barbaric," said Yvaine.

"We needn't visit the zoo," said Tristran. "Where would you like to go?"

"To take my mind off my injuries," said Tristran. "Though we could always think of something else to do."

Yvaine sighed in exasperation. "Very well," she said. "A place where no animals are caged, and without rather large tigers."

"Hmm," said Tristran, rolling his eyes in thought. "It looks nice outside today. Shall we go to the park? We could walk by the pond and feed the ducks."

"And there would be no tigers?" asked Yvaine.

"None at all," Tristran replied. "There are no tigers in London aside from the zoo, and perhaps in some lord's town house as a sort of exotic pet. I have never been to London," he admitted. "I have only read about it in books, but I think many lords keep exotic pets."

"How distasteful," said Yvaine. "I shouldn't be surprised if the tiger escaped to free itself from such ignominy."

"If it rampaged its way to the park while we were strolling along and conversing about the weather, why then, I think I should have to step in," said Tristran. "I would rather be mauled by the tiger than you."

"I would rather neither of us be mauled by tigers," said Yvaine. "Which is why we should not go to London, in addition to my turning into a block of stone should I enter your world."

"My former world," Tristran corrected. "But you are right, of course."


End file.
